Written Answers Monday 10 May 2010

Scottish Executive

Animal Health and Welfare

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have been (a) prosecuted and (b) convicted under section 23 of the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006.

Kenny MacAskill: The Scottish Government Court Proceedings database, which contains details of court results to March 2009, indicates that no persons have been proceeded against or convicted under section 23 of the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006, where this was the main offence.

Buildings

Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how an owner-occupier of a C(S)-listed building can apply for it to be delisted.

Fiona Hyslop: An owner-occupier may apply for a building to be delisted by writing to Historic Scotland’s Listing Team, giving the address of the property and setting out why they consider it no longer meets the criteria for inclusion on the list. The team will then investigate the case, consulting as required, making any changes necessary, and keeping the proposer informed at each stage.

Child Poverty

Johann Lamont (Glasgow Pollok) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding is going to the training of frontline workers carried out in conjunction with Child Poverty Action Group.

Alex Neil: The Scottish Government fund the Child Poverty Action Group Scotland a total of £997,481 over 2008-11 to deliver second tier tax credit and benefit advice training to frontline workers.

Education

Margaret Smith (Edinburgh West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how members of the Curriculum for Excellence excellence group will be selected and when.

Michael Russell: Officials are assessing the role of existing subject groupings in demonstrating excellence across curricular areas, and where additional forums need to be established.

  We are working with our partners, including Learning and Teaching Scotland, to ensure the most appropriate membership of educational practitioners and subject experts on each group.

Education

Ken Macintosh (Eastwood) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-31088 by Michael Russell on 4 February 2010, what information ministers hold on Modern Languages in the Primary School training for teachers.

Ken Macintosh (Eastwood) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-31088 by Michael Russell on 4 February 2010, what information ministers gathered through the Language Fund monitoring exercise for 2007-08.

Ken Macintosh (Eastwood) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Language Fund monitoring exercise for 2007-08 was repeated in any other year and, if so, when.

Michael Russell: During the years where the ring-fenced Languages Fund operated (2001 to 2008), the Scottish Government requested annual returns from local authorities on how they used the funding. In 2007-08 this included information on the numbers of pupils studying modern languages at different stages; the range of languages offered; the numbers of teachers trained in Modern Languages in the Primary School (MLPS), and other information pertaining to specific priority outcomes highlighted for that year e.g. using new technologies, promoting interdisciplinary work and reflecting on the place of modern languages within Curriculum for Excellence as set out in Building the Curriculum 1 - the contribution of the curriculum areas .

  Languages Fund awards were allocated on a broad basis to support learning and teaching of modern languages in schools - local authorities were responsible for deciding precisely how they would spend their allocations. In addition to funding MLPS training, local authorities used their funding for other purposes, for example to pay for foreign language assistants, employ additional teachers or develop language resources at local level.

Education

Ken Macintosh (Eastwood) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish the information that it holds on Modern Languages in the Primary School training.

Michael Russell: The Scottish Government does not collect information on the numbers of teachers receiving Modern Languages in the Primary School training, as this is the responsibility of local authorities.

  Information on Modern Languages in the Primary School training from the final two years of the Languages Fund, 2006-07 and 2007-08, is provided in the following table. We are unable to provide information for previous years because the information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

  Teachers Undertaking MLPS Training (from Local Authority Languages Fund Returns, 2006-07 and 2007-08)

  

 
French
German
Spanish
Italian
Gaelic
Total


2007-08*
483
42
95
27
16
663


2006-07**
647
108
102
17
2
876



  Notes:

  *Based on Languages Fund monitoring exercise returns for 2007-08 received from 26 local authorities.

  **Based on Languages Fund monitoring exercise returns for 2006-07 received from 31 local authorities.

Equalities

Johann Lamont (Glasgow Pollok) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it proposes to review its Race Equality Statement, issued in 2008.

Alex Neil: The Race Equality Statement covers the period 2008-11. A progress report on the Race Equality Statement is due later this year.

Gaelic Language

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how Bòrd na Gàidhlig will administer its funds to meet the aims of its action plan to increase the number of Gaelic speakers.

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on the achievability of the aims of Bòrd na Gàidhlig’s action plan to increase the number of Gaelic speakers.

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how it plans to help Bòrd na Gàidhlig meet the aims of its action plan to increase the number of Gaelic speakers.

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how it considers the aims of Bòrd na Gàidhlig’s action plan to increase the number of Gaelic speakers will fit into the Curriculum for Excellence.

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how it will work with local authorities to implement Bòrd na Gàidhlig’s action plan to increase the number of Gaelic speakers.

Fiona Hyslop: We need to focus our resources on key areas of Gaelic development in order to increase the numbers of Gaelic speakers and thus secure the future of the language. The bòrd has identified action areas which are key areas of Gaelic development and has identified initiatives that can help make the progress we need to make in these areas.

  The Scottish Government is in full agreement with the bòrd’s analysis of current needs and we are confident that the focusing of resources is achievable and that the areas selected of early years, school education and adult education have the potential to increase the numbers of speakers.

  The key to meeting the aims of the action plan is ensuring that there are effective means of delivery in the key action areas identified. We will continue to work closely with the bòrd to put in place and support the necessary initiatives and to achieve the required outcomes.

  In order to achieve the aims set out in the action plan, the bòrd will direct its funding to the action areas identified in the action plan and has already entered into agreements with Gaelic organisations to begin delivering some of the initiatives identified in the action plan over the course of 2010-11. The bòrd will also ensure that key areas from the action plan are prioritised in the preparation of Gaelic language plans and in the distribution of support to community groups.

  Local authorities have a critical role in this and the bòrd will seek to support authorities as they implement the commitments in their Gaelic language plans and extend Gaelic education at all levels. Along with expanding Gaelic education, we also recognise the importance of the quality of Gaelic educational provision.

  The aims of Bòrd na Gàidhlig’s action plan are complementary to the Curriculum for Excellence. The Curriculum for Excellence guidance on Gaelic for both Gaelic learners and Gaelic speakers recognises Gaelic as being a mainstream subject and a valuable resource for young people to learn about culture, identity and language in Scotland. The Curriculum for Excellence guidance will provide an effective and supportive framework to Bòrd na Gàidhlig’s plans for an increase in Gaelic speakers.

Housing

Irene Oldfather (Cunninghame South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is considering introducing a grant similar to the Home Access Grant available in England.

Michael Russell: The Scottish Government is adopting a comprehensive approach to the delivery of sustainable educational benefits and change for those most in need. This includes provision of the national education platform known as Glow, serving a potential user base of 1.5 million; development of national and user generated digital content; a collaborative national procurement framework to enable local authorities to purchase ICT equipment at competitive prices and a review of Scotland’s previous digital inclusion strategy. There are no plans to introduce a Home Access Grant.

Schools

Ms Wendy Alexander (Paisley North) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many schools planned under its £1.25 billion school building programme will be built by (a) conventional procurement, (b) PPP, (c) non-profit trust and (d) another method of procurement.

Keith Brown: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-31248 on 11 February 2010. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx .

  However, I can assure the member that the government will not be using the discredited PFI model to procure the schools in the £1.25 billion school building programme.

Tourism

Irene Oldfather (Cunninghame South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it was represented at the European Tourism Stakeholders Conference on 14-15 April 2010.

Fiona Hyslop: The Scottish and UK Governments were not represented at the recent European Stakeholders Conference. We are not aware of the Scottish Government being invited to attend the conference. We understand that the UK Minister for Tourism, Margaret Hodge MP, was not able to attend due to the UK General Election. The conference coincided with an informal ministerial meeting on tourism that was hosted by the Spanish Presidency and the UK was represented at that meeting by the British Embassy in Madrid.